Phys.org news tagged with:agricultural crophttp://phys.org/
en-usPhys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine.Plant 'thermometer' discovered that triggers springtime budding by measuring night-time heatAn international team of scientists led by the University of Cambridge has discovered the 'thermometer' molecule that enables plants to develop according to seasonal temperature changes.http://phys.org/news/2016-10-thermometer-triggers-springtime-budding-night-time.html
Biotechnology Thu, 27 Oct 2016 14:00:56 ESTnews396795646Networking could enhance the use of sustainable agriculture practicesWeeds, diseases and animal pests can make life miserable for agricultural crops and curtail their yield. Pesticides are one tool that farmers can use to control plant pests and protect agricultural crops. However, sustainable agriculture calls for a wider range of tools to keep the use of pesticides to an optimal minimum.http://phys.org/news/2016-10-networking-sustainable-agriculture.html
Environment Wed, 05 Oct 2016 06:04:26 ESTnews394866232Media neglect puts native insects at riskNative bees are falling victim to bad press, with the media glorifying European honey bees at the expense of hard-working Australian pollinators.http://phys.org/news/2016-06-media-neglect-native-insects.html
Ecology Wed, 22 Jun 2016 06:50:02 ESTnews385795066Can legumes solve environmental issues?It's a win-win situation for the environment and the economy when it comes to introducing legumes into agricultural systems, says new research published in Frontiers in Plant Science, carried out by an international team of scientists as part of the European Union project, Legume Futures.http://phys.org/news/2016-05-legumes-environmental-issues.html
Environment Mon, 23 May 2016 14:12:33 ESTnews383231542Eliminating GMOs would take toll on environment, economiesHigher food prices, a significant boost in greenhouse gas emissions due to land use change and major loss of forest and pasture land would be some results if genetically modified organisms in the United States were banned, according to a Purdue University study.http://phys.org/news/2016-03-gmos-toll-environment-economies.html
Biotechnology Tue, 01 Mar 2016 08:40:03 ESTnews376039700Creation of virus-resistant plants with artificial DNA-binding proteinsIn order to resolve global food crisis, it is important to prevent plant viruses from spreading infections as they infect a wide variety of agricultural crops and significantly reduce yields. For example, gemini-virus, which forms a large family in a DNA virus, has caused over 200 billion yen worth of damage to cassava, which is a major staple food in Africa. So there is demand for effective methods to prevent such damage. A possible solution to this problem is the use of commercially available virus-resistant agricultural crops created by breeding that have some degree of resistance to viral infections. However, such crops become a new source of infection, as it is not possible to eliminate the infected virus from them. Therefore, scientists are still searching for long term solutions.http://phys.org/news/2016-02-creation-virus-resistant-artificial-dna-binding-proteins.html
Biotechnology Wed, 24 Feb 2016 06:37:26 ESTnews375518240Food available to African farmers increases with market access and off-farm opportunities'This new study suggests that we need to ensure that farmers have access to markets for their produce and also opportunities to diversify their income by working outside the farm, both as daily wage labour and in other sectors, to target poverty and improve food security', Ken Giller, professor Plant Production Systems at Wageningen University, says. 'Much of the focus of agricultural research in relation to rural development in Africa is currently focused on increasing crop yields, while important, it is simply not enough on its own.' The findings were recently published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in a first paper using big data from small farms in sub-Saharan Africa.http://phys.org/news/2016-01-food-african-farmers-access-off-farm.html
Environment Tue, 26 Jan 2016 09:17:33 ESTnews373022244Use of residues from agriculture and forestry as energy sources improves food securityThe sustainability of growing crops for use as energy sources has been disputed for many years. A potentially attractive alternative is to use waste and residues from agricultural and forestry. However, using waste and other residues may have an impact on land use, biodiversity and food security. The additional sources of income from the sale of waste and other residues could prompt an increase in the production of crops and wood. LEI has investigated the potential impact of the large-scale use of waste from agriculture and forestry on land use and food security.http://phys.org/news/2015-12-residues-agriculture-forestry-energy-sources.html
Environment Fri, 18 Dec 2015 11:10:03 ESTnews369655781Plants with jobsTwo University of Toronto Scarborough scientists have developed a new research framework for the agricultural sector that offers evidence-based understanding of the relationship between short-term yields, long-term sustainability and biodiversity.http://phys.org/news/2015-09-jobs.html
Ecology Fri, 25 Sep 2015 16:32:27 ESTnews362417533Scientists discover new approach to managing parasitic roundwormsRoundworms that feed on plants cause approximately $100 billion in annual global crop damage. But a new way of disrupting the motility and reproduction of these plant parasitic nematodes discovered by a University of New Hampshire scientist may one day provide farmers with a new way to safely manage these agricultural pests.http://phys.org/news/2015-09-scientists-approach-parasitic-roundworms.html
Biotechnology Wed, 09 Sep 2015 12:49:33 ESTnews361021765Aussie birds favour almonds for dining choicesAlmonds appear to be the fare of choice for many Australian birds with recent research finding a variety of bird species frequent almond orchards over other agricultural crops.http://phys.org/news/2015-08-aussie-birds-favour-almonds-dining.html
Ecology Mon, 24 Aug 2015 10:00:01 ESTnews359625878Scientists use wasps to protect local citrus crops from diseaseThey look like grains of black sand inside a prescription vial. But each speck is a wasp that is lethal to the offspring of the Asian citrus psyllid, an aphid-size bug that spreads the bacteria that cause Huanglongbing, or citrus greening disease. If California's $1.8 billion citrus industry is to buy enough time to stave off the disease, which has decimated citrus crops in Florida, Mexico and Brazil, those vials may as well be hourglasses.http://phys.org/news/2015-08-scientists-wasps-local-citrus-crops.html
Ecology Sun, 23 Aug 2015 10:17:58 ESTnews359543865GM—'the most critical technology' for feeding the world, expert saysA former adviser to the US Secretary of State says that genetic modification (GM) is the most critical technology in agriculture for meeting the challenges of feeding a growing global population, writing in the open access journal Agriculture & Food Security.http://phys.org/news/2015-08-gmthe-critical-technology-world-expert.html
Biotechnology Thu, 20 Aug 2015 20:00:02 ESTnews359305006Seawater greenhouses to bring life to the desertGreenhouses that will use seawater to grow crops in one of the hottest and driest places on earth will be designed by researchers at Aston University working with industry partners as part of an international project.http://phys.org/news/2015-07-seawater-greenhouses-life.html
Environment Tue, 14 Jul 2015 08:31:22 ESTnews356081469Cactus scientists offer insights to solve future global agricultural challengesResearchers have provided a new roadmap for tackling future agricultural production issues by using solutions that involve crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), a specialized type of photosynthesis that enhances the efficiency by which plants use water.http://phys.org/news/2015-07-cactus-scientists-insights-future-global.html
Other Mon, 06 Jul 2015 18:41:44 ESTnews355426897Stink bugs have strong taste for ripe fruitThe brown marmorated stink bug has a bad reputation. And for good reason: every summer, this pest attacks crops and invades homes, causing both sizable economic losses and a messy, smelly nuisance—especially in the eastern United States. A new study by entomologists at the University of Maryland shows that these pests, known simply as stink bugs, have a strong preference for ripe fruit. Moreover, stink bugs track their favorite fruits throughout the growing season in an effort to maximize their access to food.http://phys.org/news/2015-06-bugs-strong-ripe-fruit.html
Ecology Mon, 29 Jun 2015 17:14:12 ESTnews354816841Probe after GM jellyfish-lamb sold as meat in FranceFrench authorities are looking into how a lamb genetically modified with jellyfish protein was sold as meat to an unknown customer, a judicial source told AFP on Tuesday.http://phys.org/news/2015-06-probe-gm-jellyfish-lamb-sold-meat.html
Biotechnology Tue, 23 Jun 2015 07:49:27 ESTnews354264558NASA image: Wheat fires outside of Huaibei, ChinaThe Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image of agricultural fires on June 13, 2015. Smoke and actively burning fires (shown with red outlines) are visible in the true-color image.http://phys.org/news/2015-06-nasa-image-wheat-huaibei-china.html
Earth Sciences Mon, 15 Jun 2015 14:32:53 ESTnews353597567'Health cards' to find out the condition of agricultural ecosystemsIn order to provide farmers and anyone else involved in managing agricultural ecosystems with a tool enabling them to assess the impact of their farming practices on the health of their crops and soils, the Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development NEIKER-Tecnalia has created its new TSEAs or 'Agricultural Ecosystem Health Cards'. These handbooks are an improved version of the cards created in the 1980s by the United States Department of Agriculture. The R&D centre is holding various meetings to make these handbooks known to various groups (growers, technicians, scientists and the administration) linked to the agricultural sector and who will receive them free of charge.http://phys.org/news/2015-05-health-cards-condition-agricultural-ecosystems.html
Environment Mon, 25 May 2015 09:10:02 ESTnews351762404Forests could be the trump card in efforts to end global hunger, report saysAbout one in nine people globally still suffer from hunger with the majority of the hungry living in Africa and Asia. The world's forests have great potential to improve their nutrition and ensure their livelihoods. In fact, forests and forestry are essential to achieve food security as the limits of boosting agricultural production are becoming increasingly clear.http://phys.org/news/2015-05-forests-trump-card-efforts-global.html
Environment Wed, 06 May 2015 00:20:01 ESTnews350060425Scientists plan to cut insect pests down to size by turning their own hormones against themLocusts are certainly not among the lazier creatures on earth. They can travel 130km a day in search of food. The insects can strip bare a field of crops in minutes as they move from one feast to the next in vast swarms of up to several hundred square kilometres in size.http://phys.org/news/2015-04-scientists-insect-pests-size-hormones.html
Ecology Mon, 27 Apr 2015 09:00:02 ESTnews349341668Better genes for better beansSome of the most underappreciated crops could soon become the most valuable tools in agriculture with new research from the Centre for Underutilised Crops at the University of Southampton. Coordinator Mark Chapman has created a resource of new genetic data that will enable scientists to uncover why certain legume crops succeed where others fail. Ultimately, the new data will prepare the world for future pressures on agriculture.http://phys.org/news/2015-02-genes-beans.html
Biotechnology Thu, 26 Feb 2015 12:13:56 ESTnews344175141Yellow sugarcane aphid detected in continental EuropeAphids are a kind of insect that typically lives on the aerial parts of plants, feeding on the sap that flows through the phloem with a specialized buccal apparatus. That is why they are considered pests in agricultural crops.http://phys.org/news/2015-02-yellow-sugarcane-aphid-continental-europe.html
Ecology Mon, 23 Feb 2015 09:00:02 ESTnews343902675European grain yield stagnation related to climate change, says researcherThe European Union led the world in wheat production and exports in 2014-15. Yet Europe is also the region where productivity has slowed the most. Yields of major crops have not increased as much as would be expected over the past 20 years, based on past productivity increases and innovations in agriculture.http://phys.org/news/2015-02-european-grain-yield-stagnation-climate.html
Environment Mon, 23 Feb 2015 06:55:22 ESTnews343896908Can organic crops compete with industrial agriculture?A systematic overview of more than 100 studies comparing organic and conventional farming finds that the crop yields of organic agriculture are higher than previously thought. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, also found that certain practices could further shrink the productivity gap between organic crops and conventional farming.http://phys.org/news/2014-12-crops-industrial-agriculture.html
Ecology Tue, 09 Dec 2014 19:00:04 ESTnews337370164The future of global agriculture may include new land, fewer harvestsClimate change may expand suitable cropland, particularly in the Northern high latitudes, but tropical regions may becoming decreasingly suitable, according to a study published September 17, 2014 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Florian Zabel from Ludwig Maximilians University, Germany and colleagues.http://phys.org/news/2014-09-future-global-agriculture-harvests.html
Environment Wed, 17 Sep 2014 14:00:01 ESTnews330166630Honeybees play a vital role in the agricultural industryThe next time you tuck into a salad, thank a honeybee.http://phys.org/news/2014-08-honeybees-vital-role-agricultural-industry.html
Plants & Animals Fri, 29 Aug 2014 07:40:03 ESTnews328512577USDA seizes more than 1,200 illegal giant snailsThe giant African snail damages buildings, destroys crops and can cause meningitis in humans. But some people still want to collect, and even eat, the slimy invaders.http://phys.org/news/2014-08-usda-seizes-illegal-giant-snails.html
Plants & Animals Fri, 29 Aug 2014 04:26:41 ESTnews328505186Fires in Central Africa During July 2014Hundreds of fires covered central Africa in mid-July 2014, as the annual fire season continues across the region. Multiple red hotspots, which indicate areas of increased temperatures, are heavily sprinkled across the Congo (northwest), Angola (south), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (northeast), and Zambia (southeast). Thick gray smoke rises from some of the hotspots, and in some areas, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, strong winds drive the smoke to the south.http://phys.org/news/2014-07-central-africa-july.html
Earth Sciences Thu, 24 Jul 2014 13:30:01 ESTnews325425456Earth-Kind roses analyzed for salt toleranceEarth-Kind® roses are favorites with gardeners and landscapers. Chosen for their superior tolerance to heat, drought, and pests, as well as their outstanding performance in landscapes, Earth-Kind roses can thrive in most environments, even with limited care. A new study focused on determining the best Earth-Kind varieties for withstanding the challenges of salt stress.http://phys.org/news/2014-06-earth-kind-roses-salt-tolerance.html
Biotechnology Mon, 30 Jun 2014 15:17:57 ESTnews323360269